Food is often packaged in a container of plastic sheeting deformed by heat, vacuum etc., the container including a lower container element that forms a cavity that can hold food, and a lid or cover element that covers the lower element. Two stacks of container elements are provided for a clerk at a workstation in a store. The clerk takes a lower element and loads food into it, and then takes a lid element and closes and latches it to the lower element. It would be desirable if the number of different container elements that must be manufactured and stacked were at a minimum, such as a single container element construction. However, the container elements should be constructed so they stack closely on one another during storage, so they latch and seal well to one another when the container is closed, and so a plurality of containers that each has been loaded with food can be securely stacked on one another.